Best-in-Class Workforce Management Software from Industry Experts
Header

You Should Be Mindful Of Your Company’s Tech Workplace Etiquette

October 15th, 2019 | Posted by ATS in Employee Productivity | HR | Office | Payroll | Productivity | Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software - (Comments Off on You Should Be Mindful Of Your Company’s Tech Workplace Etiquette)

Work etiquette is part common sense and part culture and can depend on the company you work for. For example, the corporate culture at the company you work for, might have a list of unwritten rules about work etiquette. It is up to you to know them, and if you don’t make, an attempt by asking someone who has been at the company longer than you have been. All workplaces are different, but basic work etiquette is pretty universal within a country.

Here is an excerpt list of technology workplace etiquettes from a recent article by Deborah Lynn Blumberg titled 8 tech etiquette rules for the modern workplace.

“Shut off your cell phone
It can be tempting to zone out by checking personal email on your smartphone or scrolling through Facebook during a team meeting. Resist, says Diane Gottsman, a national etiquette expert and founder of The Protocol School of Texas. When you’re on your personal device, you send a message that the meeting and work aren’t your priority.

Be mindful during conference callsYou wouldn’t crunch a bag of potato chips during a department meeting or send out a flurry of personal tweets. So, don’t do it during a conference call, says Gottsman. A general rule for video calls is to imagine you’re in an in-person meeting. Be especially careful if you’re calling in from home.

Know your email etiquette
Email subjects should clearly communicate the point of your message, Gottsman says. She also advises to be cautious when using the Bcc or blind copy features. You run the risk of the person who’s blind copied responding to everyone, she says. “There’s secrecy in blind copying. A cc feels more upfront.”

Think before adding an emojiEmojis can soften the tone of requests you make of your employees or colleagues. But, they also create the potential for misunderstandings. One recent study found that using smiley faces in work emails makes readers perceive the sender as less competent. It’s safest to use emojis with colleagues you know well, says Senning.

Keep notifications in checkIf you’re using your personal laptop for a work presentation, build in time to disable notifications that might pop up. For Belanger, who received that mid-presentation question about her date, it was an instant message, but it could also be Facebook alerts or even calendar reminders.

Don’t friend-request your boss
We spend most of our days at work, and that’s where we build our relationships. So, friending a co-worker on Facebook might feel natural. But it’s also a risk. You might see a picture from their personal life that makes you uncomfortable. If that’s the case, “there’s nothing wrong with unfollowing someone,” Gottsman says.

When F2F is better than screen-to-screen
Senning says part of good tech etiquette is knowing when not to use it. Relying heavily on email presents a genuine challenge to our ability to empathize, he says.  For issues that are sensitive or could impact the relationship between colleagues or between a supervisor and her direct report, it’s better to meet face-to-face. It doesn’t have to be formal, a quick coffee or a “walking meeting” often works wonders to facilitate clear communication.

Say you’re sorry
Inevitably, despite our best intentions, embarrassing tech mistakes will happen. “Technological tools are extremely helpful,” says Gottsman. “They make our job and life easier. But at the same time, they can complicate matters because we don’t use them right, or we get too comfortable. We need to use technology responsibly and politely.”

Bottomline-Many of these work etiquettes mentioned here are not hard to adopt, and as previously mentioned, most of them comes down to common sense.

Keep current with ATS:

, , , ,

Have You Started Thinking About New Year’s Resolutions For 2019?

December 28th, 2018 | Posted by ATS in Benefit Accruals | Employee Productivity | Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software - (Comments Off on Have You Started Thinking About New Year’s Resolutions For 2019?)

Now that all the shopping, eating and family festivities are all done, here comes the tradition of New Year resolutions that we will hear a lot about in the first few weeks of 2019. And, in the world of business, increasing sales, will likely top the list of things that most businesses, both small and large will have on their to-do list.

Mike Maddock’s list of Ten Resolutions The Most Successful People Make And Then Keep at Forbes.com is quite handy if your company is compiling its own list.

Those resolutions are:

1.Spend more time on the not-to-do list
Strategy is the art of sacrifice. That’s why you may consider creating a larger clearing for what really matters by first identifying, and then avoiding, what matters the least. Your time is a treasure to be invested. Creating a list of things that you are not going to do, allows you to invest more of your treasured time on the few things that matter the most.

2. Essential first, email second
What’s the first thing you do in the morning? For many of us, it is looking at email. We wake up with a renewed mind and spirit, ready to take on the world, and then we immediately allow ourselves to be distracted by an insignificant email. Instead, wake up,take on the most important task of the day, and then (and only then) hit the email

3.Resolve to think about “Who” instead of “What”
Do you work for a “What” business or for a “Who” business? Successful companies run the risk of focusing too much on their current products and distributors thus—the “What”—losing sight of the constant and dramatically changing needs of their customer base. (The “Who.”) Insurance, pharma, health care, higher education often listen too much to their agents, doctors and professors. The real innovation starts with the end consumer.

4. Resolve to find your purpose
As my friend Simon Sinek will tell you: People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Starting a career, a company or any kind of journey that is based firmly on your purpose is foundational to success and happiness. If you don’t know your company’s purpose or even your own, finding one is the worthiest of resolutions.

5. Resolve to support a cause
If you’re reading this, chances are you are one of the rare people who know how to start things. Fortunately, there are people like you who have already started causes that make the world better—they feed the hungry; they save the rain forest; they fight cancer; they do good things. There is virtually a cause for everyone, and contributing will make your year happier. Promise.

6. Resolve to invent more choices
Here’s a secret that happy people know that I learned from my friend Dr. Dan Baker: You can’t feel grateful and fearful at the same time. And one certain way to become afraid is to feel trapped by any situation. The remedy is choice. The more choices you feel you have, the less trapped—and happier—you will feel. So this year, resolve to do a bit of brainstorming every time you feel unhappy.

7. Resolve to find a Yin for your Yang 
Walt Disney had Roy Disney, Steve Jobs had Steve Wozniak and Orville Wright had Wilbur Wright. Wherever there is great innovation, there is a Dreamer and an Operator; an Idea Monkey and a (Ring) leader. First, determine where your passions lie, then go find an equally passionate partner, then go change the world.

8. Resolve to get outside your jar 
You can’t read the label when you are sitting inside the jar. The sad irony of being an expert is that it keeps you from seeing possibility. After all, you know what works, what doesn’t, what you can afford, what’s been tried in the past. Instead of relying only on your expertise, learn how to find other experts solving similar challenges to the ones you are facing. Go ask them what you may be missing.

9. Resolve to be the creator
What is the outcome you want? What stands in your way? How do you overcome these obstacles? These three simple questions will keep you from being victimized by any situation. Creators change the world. Victims just bitch about stuff.

10. Plan vacations (now)
You have probably heard the saying, “Life is what happens when you are not paying attention.” Unfortunately for many of us, we let this become true. Do yourself a favor and plan your vacations for the next year today. I promise you that the days around your vacation will fill in nicely. I also promise you that you’ll have something to look forward to and the life that happens during your vacations will be precious.

The stats on how often people keep up with New Year’s resolutions are dismal, at best. Part of the reason why most people don’t live up to their New Year’s goals, are because, those goals are too unrealistic to begin. So, perhaps part of New Year’s resolution list should include a step, by step guide on how to reach each goal or target?

Happy New Year!

Keep current with ATS:

,

Do’s And Don’ts Of Office Email

July 31st, 2018 | Posted by ATS in Artificial Intelligence | Machine Learning | Workforce Analytics - (Comments Off on Do’s And Don’ts Of Office Email)

Texting has become the preferred method of correspondence with friends and family, over emails. And why not, texting is quicker. Email, however, still reigns supreme in the corporate world so make sure you reserve those quirky jokes and smiley faces for the people with whom you have personal relationships with, like friends and family. Your work colleagues and especially, your boss might not take kindly to the same writing style you use in your personal texts when you are communicating with them.

Do’s And Don’ts Of Office Email

Here are a few email tips from Dawn Rosenberg McKay from an article titled 6 Rules for Email Etiquette in the Workplace:

  1. Mind Your Manners

Even in a world where we are rushing to get things done as quickly as possible in order to move on to the next task, take the time to use good manners in your email. Don’t neglect to say “please” and “thank you.”

  1. Watch Your Tone

Tone is how you, as a writer, can express your attitude in an email message. It influences how it is received. You usually want to make sure to come across to the recipient as respectful, friendly, and approachable. You don’t want to sound curt or demanding. Reread your message several times before hitting send.

When writing to someone with whom you’ve communicated before, begin by saying something friendly like “I hope you are well.” While emojis may help you convey tone more easily, refrain from using them in professional email unless you are writing to someone with whom you have a very informal relationship. Never use them when writing to a prospective employer.

  1. Be Concise

Busy people have neither the time nor inclination, to spend more than a minute reading an individual email. If you want to allow your recipient to read your message quickly, and still understand it, you must keep it brief.

Don’t leave out pertinent details, however. Make sure your message clearly conveys your reason for writing it in the first place. Nobody saves time if you end up having a back and forth while you try to explain the details you omitted.

  1. Avoid Using Texting Abbreviations

Even though you want to save time, you shouldn’t use texting abbreviations in your professional email. If you text a lot, as many people do, you may be accustomed to using a sort of shorthand to speak to your friends. For example, you may use “u,” “ur,” and “plz” instead of “you,” “your,” and “please.” These abbreviations have no place in business correspondence, unless the recipient is someone with whom you have a casual relationship.

  1. Use a Professional Email Address

For messages related to your current job, always use the email address your employer assigned to you. However, you should never use it to send messages that are unrelated to your job, for example, if you are looking for a new one. Use a personal email account instead.

  1. Don’t Forget Spelling and Grammar Count

It is imperative that you proofread your email carefully. Never neglect this critical step, no matter how busy you are. The things you want to be attentive to are correct spelling and proper grammar. In addition to spelling common words correctly, you also want to spell people’s names right, including that of your recipient and the name of his or her company.

Bottom line
In the era of the Internet, artificial intelligence, machine learning, analytics, cool automated business software and access to a dizzying array of mobile apps, the corporate world is conservative, and, how you communicate in that setting has to remain professional, because you never know who may intercept your mail. After all, when your work emails are professional, it’s less likely to put your company at risk.

Keep current with ATS:

, , , ,